Entries in Willie Mays
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Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images(SAN FRANCISCO) -- At a fundraising luncheon in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon, President Obama received an enthusiastic re-endorsement from baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, who likened the thrill of sharing a stage with the nation’s first African-American president to playing in the World Series.

“We have a man that we want to get back into the White House. We need him,” said Mays, 81, who donned a baseball cap and a big grin, according to reports from inside the event, which was closed to cameras.

The Giants legend told the crowd of 270 donors in the Julia Morgan Ballroom that the sense of amazement he felt in the days after Obama won in 2008 still lingers today.

“I had no idea in my lifetime that we would have an African-American guy in the White House,” Mays said.

He also recounted how he had received an invitation from Obama to fly together aboard Air Force One shortly after the election, describing the ride as particularly meaningful and memorable.

Obama embraced Mays after the introduction and offered the African-American sports star some accolades of his own.